Stratton v Van Driel Limited is the second case in our contractor safety management series.
It is a somewhat older decision, having been handed down in 1998, but useful in that it looks at a narrow issue that is very important in the context of contractor safety management: Control.
In 1995 Mr Baum, a roof plumber was seriously injured when he fell down a ladder. Mr Baum was employed by Signal & Hobbs, who in turn had been engaged by Van Driel Limited, to do work on the new Dandenong Club in Dandenong, Victoria.
The essence of the charges against Van Driel was that it had not done everything Reasonably Practicable to provide a safe system of work, in that it had not managed the risks associated with working on the roof.
Van Driel defended the charges on the basis that they did not have relevant control over the way an independent contractor did their work.
You can access the video presentation of the case here.
My Safety Thoughts 